1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems and methods for autonomously controlling machinery. More particularly, the present invention relates to systems and methods for use with machinery used in precision agriculture. More specifically, the present invention relates to systems and methods for autonomously controlling harvesting machinery such as a combine.
2. Present State of the Art
A major goal of precision agriculture is to ultimately increase the product yield by more closely monitoring and controlling many of the factors that influence agricultural output. The effectiveness of precision agriculture is often measured in terms of crop yield and there are many factors that may have a significant effect on the crop yield. Some of those factors include the amount of water received by the growing crop, the amount and type of fertilizer provided to the crop, the amount and type of herbicides and pesticides applied to the crop, the type of machinery used to harvest the crop, and the like. As a result, there are many different factors or combination of factors related to agriculture that can be altered or changed to have a positive effect on the crop yield.
Machinery in particular, such as a grain combine, can have a significant impact on the crop yield. As the grain combine proceeds through a grain field, the grain plants are cut and fed into a threshing unit. The threshing unit rubs the cut plants between a rotor and a concave in order to separate the grain from the remainder of the plant. During the threshing process, the grains that are separated from the plant fall into a grain pan and the remaining plant residue is directed to the rear of the grain combine for discharge. Next, the separated grain is cleaned by passing it over a cleaning sieve. Air blowing up through or across the cleaning sieve separates much of the remaining plant material while the grain is allowed to fall through the sieve. At this point, the grain is moved to the grain storage bin and the chaff separated in the cleaning sieve is expelled out the back of the grain combine.
A grain combine has many different components and systems that interact with the crop being harvested and as a result, each separate component or system of the grain combine may have an effect on the amount of grain that is actually harvested. In addition, other factors, such as the forward speed of the grain combine, temperature, humidity, crop moisture, crop biomass, and the like may also play a role in the ability of the grain combine to minimize the amount of grain that is lost.
With regard to precision agriculture, the essential purpose of the grain combine is to harvest as much grain as possible, which helps to maximize the crop yield. In order to perform this function, it is often necessary to know how much grain is being lost from the combine. Quantifying or monitoring the amount of grain being lost during the harvesting process is an important factor that is used to optimize the operation of the grain combine. One solution to this problem is the use of a piezoelectric sensor that is typically located at the rear of the grain combine mounted at the back end of the cleaning sieves.
When grain kernels impact this type of sensor, a small measurable voltage is generated. This type of sensor, however, may not be able to distinguish between larger pieces of straw and pieces of grain that impact the sensor. Also, current piezoelectric sensors are unable to detect grain that is blown out the back end of the combine with the plant residue and are not able to sense the grain that is within the mat of straw moving across the cleaning sieve because those kernels do not come into contact with the sensor. Further, a piezoelectric sensor typically provides signal to a display panel that instructs the grain combine operator to either go faster or slower when the grain loss is unacceptable. Thus, the only adjustment the operator can make is related to the forward velocity of the combine, which may or may not be the problem. Often, an adjustment to the velocity of the combine is an inadequate solution and does not improve the amount of grain being lost. More simply, a piezoelectric sensor mounted in this manner is very difficult to calibrate and does not provide significant value to a precision farmer.
What is needed are systems and methods for autonomously controlling agricultural machinery. Systems and methods are needed that provide the ability to adjust, as well as monitor, the systems and devices that operate within agricultural machinery such that the crop yield or other quality measurement or collection of quality measurements are optimized.
Agricultural machinery plays an important role in precision agriculture. Properly maintained equipment is needed to ensure that the amount of crop being harvested is maximized. However, agricultural machinery typically have many different components and systems that perform various functions, and an operator of agricultural machinery is often unable to effectively monitor those components and systems. The present invention relates to systems and methods that monitor agricultural machinery and make real time adjustments to the agricultural machinery such that the operation of the machinery is optimized. The optimization can be related to the crop yield or other quality standards or group of standards. The optimization of the agricultural machinery is performed by is analyzing data that may be provided from one of several sources. A preferred source of data is from sensors that are connected with the agricultural machinery in such a way as to provide information about the various systems and components operating within the machinery. In the case of a grain combine, for example, sensors are used to determine component characteristics or measurements such as the fan speed, the grain loss, the rotor speed, and the like. An analysis of the information provided by the sensors is used to determine what adjustments should be made to the grain combine. Exemplary adjustments include altering the fan speed, altering the combine velocity, changing the chaff opening, and the like.
An important sensor used in optimizing the operation of, for example, a grain combine, is a grain loss sensor. A preferred embodiment of a grain loss sensor relies on the flourescent properties of various grains. An analysis of the emissions of the plant material expelled from the rear of the combine may therefore be used to quantify the amount of grain being lost.
Other sources of information are the historic and current facts which include information related to both the agricultural machinery and the agricultural fields, geography, climate, pesticides, herbicides, crop data, and the like. This information is used, often in combination with the sensor data, to alter the operations or characteristics of the agricultural machinery such that the harvest yield is optimized.
While the systems and methods provided by the present invention provide for autonomous control of agricultural machinery, manual commands, which override the autonomous control system, may also be used to control the agricultural machinery. In this manner, a machinery operator has full control over the machinery.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by the practice of the invention. The features and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instruments and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. These and other features of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, or may be learned by the practice of the invention as set forth hereinafter.